Medical Marijuana For CLE Browns Fans? State Considers Petition

COLUMBUS, OH — Supporting professional football teams in Ohio can feel torturous. But so torturous that the pain of fandom should be treated with medical marijuana? One petition says so.

A petition submitted to the State Medical Board of Ohio has asked for Browns and Bengals fandom to be added to the list of conditions that qualify for treatment with medical marijuana. During the 2019 petition period, 28 requests to add certain medical conditions were received. Most of the petitions were for consideration of serious medical conditions. One of those petitions, however, was for "Browns/Bengals fan."

This summer, the Medical Board will vote on whether Cleveland and Cincinnati football fans can get medical marijuana as a reward for slogging through recent seasons.

All petitions to the Medical Board have to include relevant medical and scientific information; information from experts who specialize in the study of the condition; evidence that medical marijuana could help treat the condition; and letters of support from doctors.

That means a lot of work went into submitting this petition.

The Browns were the only NFL franchise to miss out on having a winning season between 2010 and 2020. In fact, the team hasn't had a winning season since 2007. This off-season, Cleveland fired its head coach and general manager. The two positions currently remain unfilled.

The Bengals won only two games during the 2019-20 season, the worst record in the NFL. They haven't had a winning season since 2015 and have finished either last or next to last in the AFC North for the past four years.

Still, football fans hoping to get a license to smoke marijuana should temper their expectations. The Medical Board has already rejected more-serious ailments from the medical marijuana list. In September 2019, the Medical Board voted against adding anxiety and autism to the list of conditions that could be treated with medical marijuana. And Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has publicly said he opposes legalizing recreational marijuana.

All of the other conditions submitted for the Medical Board's consideration are serious medical ailments, including HIV, PTSD, traumatic brain injuries, diabetes and anxiety disorder.